Fiscal Facts

After a decade of one-party control of the governor’s office and both houses of the Legislature, Wisconsin residents are about to get an education in divided government.

How do Wisconsin’s overall taxes on manufac­turers compare to other states? A brief scan of relevant studies finds differing conclusions.

The state authorized an estimated $928.1 million in tax advantages and incentives for manufacturing in 2016, up from an inflation-adjusted $724.5 million in 2008.

Although manufacturing remains prominent in Wisconsin’s economy, its dominance has generally been declining over the years.

In 2017, the manufacturing sector in Wisconsin produced $59.1 billion in economic output and employed 16.4 percent of the state workforce.

In November, voters in 17 counties and six municipalities approved referenda calling on the state to eliminate “dark store” property tax assessment practices.

In at least 16 Wisconsin towns, voters in the November election decided to allow their town clerks or treasurers to be appointed by the town board instead of electing them at large.

During the November 2018 elections, at least 15 communities held property tax levy limit referenda to allow municipalities to exceed state-imposed limits.

Since 2005, Wisconsin has limited how municipal tax increases. Cities, counties, villages and towns may exceed them only by passing a referendum.

A growing share of Wisconsin’s prison inmates are serving time for violent crimes. Their numbers rose from 59.4 percent of inmates in 2006 to 66.0 percent in 2017.